Malaysia Airlines to now introduce new satellite flight tracking system for its fleet

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Three years after the MH370 flight bound for Beijing disappeared with 239 people on board - Malaysia Airlines is now introducing a new satellite flight tracking system for its fleet.

With the move, Malaysia Airlines will become the first carrier to sign up for such a tracking system.

The airline will be able to monitor its planes in areas where there is currently no surveillance, including polar regions and remote areas of oceans that are not covered by existing systems.

The airline is said to have struck a deal for the service that is provided by U.S.-based Aireon, FlightAware and SITAONAIR.

SITAONAIR's portfolio director Paul Gibson said in a statement that the new system can also provide more regular updates on a plane's location, especially when travelling over oceans and other remote areas.

Gibson added that aircrafts deviating from a flight path could be identified more quickly as a result.

Adding, “With access to up-to-the-minute reporting, Malaysia Airlines will know the location, heading, speed and altitude of all aircraft in its fleet, at all times, and be alerted to any exceptions."

The tracking systems uses its on-board transmitter and most flights currently transmit their position using signals tracked from both the ground and space.

The airline said that the new service will be available in 2018 and will add to that coverage, using the Iridium NEXT satellite constellation which was launched earlier this year.

Izham Ismail, the carrier's chief operating officer said that the firm was "proud" to be the first airline to sign up for the system.